Ernie Ball Music Man Guitars?

[Mick-7]

Just curious, I have never heard the Ernie Ball Music Man guitars, which are American made, ever mentioned in this forum. Why is that, perhaps too many better or more versatile guitars at their price point for playing jazz?

Guitars | Ernie Ball Music Man

Good looking baritone guitar: Ball Family Reserve | Ernie Ball Music Man

They also have a budget line called "Sterling" which I presume, based on their prices, are not made in the U.S.

[jads57]

Geared to the Rock Players market, and have small shaped necks.
Good Guitars for sure, but I e asked many times and even know the main luthier personally. Will not make a larger neck shape!

[nyc chaz]

Musicman guitars are all top quality.Their Steve Lukather model is the best super strat guitar i have ever played.As already mentioned some people don't like their necks while others adore them as they are treated with gun oil that give them a smooth silky feel.

[jads57]

I find it funny how many of their Signature Artist prefer such tiny necks. Including EVH, Albert Lee, Steve Morse,etc…..

[Hammertone]

Ernie Ball? I'd be happy to sell this one to anyone here. It's mint. Excellent instrument! Just haven't gotten around to posting a FS ad yet. Not a small neck. 30" scale, though.

[Oscar67]

Interesting brand for sure. Unlike Fender or PRS for example, it’s mostly their signature models that are making waves in the market (except for the Stingray bass, that became a classic). And those sig models really are all over the place.

• Albert Lee’s signature is a pointy Strat-style affair that’s straight out of The Jetsons.
• St Vincent’s model defies categorization. Some welcome fresh ideas here.
• John Petrucci has many, many signature models based on the superstrat platform but in the end came up with the Majesty, which is a profound new design. Interestingly some of his previous sig models are still in production, so apart from the Majesty you can go back in time and choose what you like. That’s like getting a reissue of an older model except that it never went out of production.
• Steve Morse’s sig model is basically just a plank of wood that serves as a pickup platform with 2 buckers, 2 additional single coils and a hexaphonic MIDI pickup. He still _always_ plays the very first prototype - which looks completely beat to hell.
• Lukather’s model seems to be loosely based on a fresh and original EB design from the late 80s or 90s (I forgot) called the Silhouette. Keith Richards played one of those for a while and was quite enamoured with it. Anyway, Luke’s model is basically a performance-oriented superstrat and its various versions differed mostly in terms of pickups. The III and IV models have passive pickups but do have a 20dB active boost built in (same with the Petrucci models).
• The original EvH sig model strikes me as their most ‘organic’, ‘woody’ guitar ever, apart from having a Floyd. A friend of mine bought one new in 1992, still has it, loves it to bits and plays the he’ll out of it. Very narrow nut width. He has small hands. I don’t, so I’ve no idea where to leave my fingers when I play that thing. Sounds great though.

[lesyeuxnoirs]

There’s also the Valentine model, which is meant to draw on elements of a Tele and a 335

Might appeal to some

Super comfortable, super versatile, and top notch build quality

The necks are awesome - flamed and finished in gun oil/tru oil

the only downside (for me, YMMV)is needlessly complex active electronics

[ruger9]

Geared to the Rock Players market, and have small shaped necks.
Good Guitars for sure, but I e asked many times and even know the main luthier personally. Will not make a larger neck shape!

And that's a damn shame. I own a Luke III, absolutely fantastic guitar... if it had a slightly bigger neck and bigger frets, it would be perfection. The gun oil finish on the neck is out of this world awesome.

IMO, the EBMM guitars give you PRS-level beauty and perfection, but at a lower price. (I also own a PRS DGT). But you must get on with the neck shape and small frets.

[ruger9]

I find it funny how many of their Signature Artist prefer such tiny necks. Including EVH, Albert Lee, Steve Morse,etc…..

Me too!! But, if you don't have large hands/long fingers, the smaller necks do play faster (or I should say, make it easier to play faster)

[Oscar67]

IMO, the EBMM guitars give you PRS-level beauty and perfection, but at a lower price.

I’m biased because I’m a PRS groupie, but in terms of sound I think PRS is ahead of the game. In terms of playability and reliability they’re equals.

[ruger9]

I’m biased because I’m a PRS groupie, but in terms of sound I think PRS is ahead of the game. In terms of playability and reliability they’re equals.

Well, "sound" or "tone" can't be measured; its subjective. Everyone hears things differently...

[nyc chaz]

And that's a damn shame. I own a Luke III, absolutely fantastic guitar... if it had a slightly bigger neck and bigger frets, it would be perfection. The gun oil finish on the neck is out of this world awesome.

IMO, the EBMM guitars give you PRS-level beauty and perfection, but at a lower price. (I also own a PRS DGT). But you must get on with the neck shape and small frets.

That Luke iii in blueberry burst is one of the nicest ones they made.I own an original Luke with emg pickups and a Luke iii with the transition pickups and both are the best strat type guitars i have owned.

[jads57]

PRS primarily makes glued in neck guitars vs bolt on affairs. However in the last year they definitely are going after the Fender Tele,Strat redesigns with a vengeance.

[SoftwareGuy]

I have a St. Vincent, which I really like. Very high quality, well balanced and easy to play.

The neck on mine is fairly chunky with large stainless steel frets.

I am totally happy with it.

[ScarTissue]

An ex-friend of mine from high school used to gig with Music Man Silhouette ( DiMarzio Virtual PAFs ) .... Best guitar I've ever heard sound wise. Amazing instrument.

His photo is bellow.

[jim777]

I have a John Petrucci model JP6 and it is close to the only guitar I can actually play at the moment due to the neck size. I recently had a bone in my left wrist removed due to arthritis, and I can't painlessly play either of my Campellones, though I can surprisingly play my VDA New Yorker which also has a thinner neck than the Campellones.

The JP 6 has a fine sounding piezo and two outputs as well, so you could send the two sounds to different amps if you'd like. It is overall an excellent (bright orange!) guitar.

[arnie65]

Ernie Ball / Musicman are top notch quality! But no jazz guitars.....




Arnie...

[Doctor Jeff]

I. Just. Can’t. With their headstock shape. The aesthetics are just not there for me.

I agree it’s shallow—but I like a traditional Tele/Strat, etc. Anything else just doesn’t float my boat.